Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

Hey Navyman,
You have the helmet back to front on your model head !

The very first batches of MKIII helmets were supplied to the front line without liners. Soldiers were told to remove the liners from their old MKIIs and swap the shells for a new MKIII. You may find a MKIII with an early dated liner for that reason.

Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

by SMP

Hey Navyman,
You have the helmet back to front on your model head !

The very first batches of MKIII helmets were supplied to the front line without liners. Soldiers were told to remove the liners from their old MKIIs and swap the shells for a new MKIII. You may find a MKIII with an early dated liner for that reason.

Steve

Thanks Steve,
I've put that model on a charge, and remembered not to drink so much beer!
Cheers,
Guy.

Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

A Syrian soldier mans a position along the border with Iraq on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007.

navyman,

I think some soldiers prefered to wear it backwards for a better sun visor in desert environments, like this Syrian soldier, seems like it might help keep the sun out of your eyes better worn backwards.

Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

Re: British MkIII Turtle pattern helmet

I own a MKIV dated 1953. It's one of the sharp edged versions without the rounded flange attached. When it arrived it was covered in a sand finish, literally sand fixed smoothly onto the metal though badly chipped. I wondered was it from Suez or Aden or simply for some part of the then far flung empire. I chipped it all off at the time, which I now regret, to reveal the original green. This would have been around 1981.

The Mk IV was also used by the Irish army and I was serving in the Irish army reserve at the time and was issued with a Mk IV for security duties along the border. That issue one was noticeably lighter and had a different liner. It was more comfortable to wear than my own helmet. I wondered was that the reason the one I got was going surplus because of course the British army at the time still used the MkIV or was it the MkV by then?

They were incredibly easy to put on backwards unless it had the riot shield on it.

The only reason I had a MKIV at all is becaue I ordered a MKII from a UK surplus place but he said he was out of stock and offered the MKIV instead. I think I was conned. No one wanted them back then because of course they were still issue. Still I'm glad I have it now. I would still like a MKII though as I mentioned on another thread.